Searching For You by Jody Hedlund

Come join Sophie Neumann, the youngest sister in the Orphan Train series, and see her journey of healing as she grows into the person God wants her to be!

We begin with a hurt and hardened Sophie, who not only feels abandoned by her older sisters, but who is worn out from trying so hard to care for Olivia and Nicholas. Though she's not related to these children, they were orphaned from infancy, and Sophie has cared for them and has been the only mother they've ever known. But she's had to resort to stealing and sneaking for so long, and her heart has grown hard as she's grown into womanhood standing all alone.

Reinhold has already been rejected by Sophie's two older sisters in marriage. Poor guy! He's got a great heart and he's an incredibly hard worker, trying so hard to make his farm profitable with very little help. He's got a streak of anger within him, passed on from his very ungodly father, and he struggles with his emotions.

Sophie and Reinhold knew each other when they were younger, and they meet unexpectedly. Will love have a chance to develop? Can they each grow past their own brokenness and learn to let others in? Can Sophie forgive her sisters for allowing her to be on her own? 

This is a wonderful journey of two hearts finding restoration in God!

“When we're finally willing to let go of the messes we've made, the good Lord can step in and salvage the scraps.” 

“We're human. We break things. It's what we do with the brokenness that counts.”

“Could she let go of attempting to make the repairs her own way and finally hand the mess over to the One waiting to forgive her and repair her life in His way?” 

“All her striving had amounted to more messes and brokenness. When she'd finally stopped trying to fix everything, God had stepped in and started to piece things back together in His way-a way that was completely unexpected and better than anything she could have accomplished on her own.” 

Together Forever by Jody Hedlund

Climb aboard Book #2 of Jody Hedlund's Orphan Train series, and join Marianne Neumann as she works for the Children's Aid Society. Marianne, sister of Elise (main character of Book #1), has an ulterior motive in her work with the orphans. Yes, she cares about them and desires to help, but she chooses this job because she hopes it will lead her to her younger sister, Sophie, who disappeared along with the two children the Neumann sisters had been caring for. Marianne feels she's to blame for their disappearance, and she intends on searching at each stop along the railroad.

But of course, she has a job to do. She, along with her partner, Drew Brady, must find homes for each of the orphans in their care. As they journey west, Marianne finds herself beginning to care more and more for the children even as she must let them go, and she finds herself caring for Drew as well.

Drew has worked for the Children's Aid Society for a couple of years, and his love for the children is obvious. He's a fun and cheerful agent, but he's also tough and strict.

As Marianne and Drew work together to care for the children, they begin to care for each other. But Drew has a past he's running from, a past that tries to repeat itself. Marianne finds old habits are heard to break, and her lies, though seemingly innocent, quickly catch up to her.

Marianne definitely grows in strength and in purpose. In the beginning of the novel, she seems timid and uncertain, but circumstances stretch and push her. She learns to fight for those she loves, but she also learns when she needs to let go.

As with the previous book, it was interesting to learn more about the Children's Aid Society and what the orphans had to endure. It is almost funny seeing how easily orphans were shoved off to new homes. In today's world, there's so much red tape, money, background checks, etc., the mere thought of adopting is the beginning of a long journey.

An innocent lie spills out of control, and Marianne is frantic to undo the charade. In His own time, and in the nick of time, God untangles the mess, and brings the sweet story to a close. Marianne learns trusting Him and letting go is the best thing because He knows what is best for her. Even little Jethro gets a wonderful, happy ending- even better than what he tried to get for himself.

Once again, Jody wrote a winner! I truly enjoyed immersing myself in this story!